Gary Gleans

Daniel has another vision this time of a ram and a goat.  We are given a very clear interpretation of this vision and it clearly covers two of the four kingdoms mentioned in the two previous visions.  The previous two visions had more specific details about the fourth kingdom so now we are given more details about the second and third kingdom since Daniel is currently experiencing the reign of the first kingdom.  God’s revelation of future events demonstrates His power and control over the events of the earth and should be a source of comfort to all believers.  The fulfillment of these prophetic passages in history gives us a model for interpreting Scripture as well as proof of the inspiration and authority of Scripture. THE RAM: The ram is described as having two notable horns one of which is higher than the other.  This is interpreted for Daniel as depicting the kingdom of the Meads and the Persians.  The two horns represent the two kingdoms and the higher horn represents the fa

Daniel has a vision about the future very similar to the vision of Nebuchadnezzar.  The vision covers the same period of time, describes the rise and fall of four empires and then the reveals the establishment of God’s kingdom.  Instead of the vision being of an impressive metallic man, it is a vision of four terrible beasts.  Man’s perspective of history is far different from God’s perspective.  God shows Daniel what will take place in the future and how the promises of God will be fulfilled.  Israel’s captivity in Babylon may have caused some to doubt the fulfillment of God’s promises, but this vision reveals how God intends to fulfill those promises.  No matter how chaotic the affairs of this world may seem to us; we can rest assured that God is in control and have a specific plan that He is bringing to pass. THE PROGRESSION OF HISTORY:  The four beasts that Daniel sees represent the rise and fall of four kingdoms.  The Lion with wings is Babylon.  The removal of the lion’s win

One of the most impressive things about Daniel is his consistent success under multiple regimes.  Daniel’s leadership and character was recognized by different kings from different countries and they all promoted him to the highest levels of responsibility.  This kind of faithfulness is greatly appreciated by authority but can be very unpopular amongst co-workers.  Our job is simply to be faithful no matter what others might think.  God is constantly looking for faithful men to use in the advancement of His kingdom. AN ENVIOUS PLOT: Daniel was one of three leaders in the kingdom but was quickly distinguishing himself above the others and it was the king’s intention to make him the leader over all the others.  This, of course, was not very popular with the other leaders.  They were envious of Daniel’s success and were determined to find something out about him that they could use against him.  They could not find anything because Daniel was above reproach.  The only thing they coul

We have repeatedly seen the truth behind the statement that “those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it.”  Nebuchadnezzar had been given crash course in the dangers of pride and importance of humility.  Now his grandson Belshazzar is about to be killed for not having learned this lesson. Pride is a sure fire way to bring down the wrath of God.  Belshazzar coupled pride with blasphemy and brought the wrath of God down upon himself.  God requires that we humble ourselves before Him and worship Him in true reverence. AN ACT OF BLASPHEMY: Belshazzar is in the middle of a long standing war with the Medes and the Persians.  He takes time out of this war to gather the people for a big party.  While at this party he has the bright idea of bringing all the sacred objects taken from the temple in Jerusalem to be used as the place settings for this drunken orgy.  God was not pleased.  God sends a message to Belshazzar in the form of a finger writing a message on a wall.  Nobo

“God save the King!”  This expression could apply very well to this chapter.  God used Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of judgment on the children of Israel.  He was not a godly man and in today’s culture would have been labeled as a terrorist.  Hitler and Osama Bin Laden would be comparative characters from more recent history.  Yet, God has been graciously revealing Himself to Nebuchadnezzar through dreams and the testimony of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  He is about to get his final lesson in perhaps the most difficult and bazaar way imaginable.  God is glorified through the radical transformation of lives and Nebuchadnezzar is about to go through a very radical transformation.  This is God’s desire for every man and He is willing to go to great and extreme lengths in order to accomplish His will. NEBUCHADNEZZAR IS PERPLEXED BY A PROBLEM: Another perplexing dream comes to Nebuchadnezzar.  This time it is a giant tree that is seen from all over the world and provide

Conviction is a hard quality to find in the hearts of men, especially in the face of death.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were men of conviction because they had great confidence in the power of God and they rested in the hope of the promises of God.  They would not compromise their convictions under the threat of death because they believed God was fully able to save them if He desired and if He did not desire; they rested in the hope of an eternity in the presence of God.  God continues to look for men of conviction who are willing to face the threats of men with confidence in God’s power and promises.  A CONVOCATION TO IDOLATRY: Nebuchadnezzar has a golden statute erected and commands all of the people to bow down and worship this statue at the sound of music playing.  I find it interesting to observe that this image is all made of gold.  The “metallic man” from his vision was of all different metals but Daniel had told him that the head of gold represented him.  Nebuchadnezz

The way of advancement often requires retreat.  God gives Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, a dream that ends up bringing a threat of death to Daniel, his friends and all the wise men of Babylon.  God chooses to use this crisis as a means of demonstrating His own power and giving Daniel a promotion in the kingdom.  This vision is also a prophecy of future events concerning the shifts of power from nation to nation.  If there were ever a demonstration of God’s sovereignty; this vision is it.  God has determined the rise and fall of nations according to His will.  He chooses to make these plans known in order to bring glory to Himself and place His servants in positions of influence.  A VISION RECEIVED: Nebuchadnezzar receives a vision from God.  The vision troubles the king because he cannot figure out the meaning of it.  He calls in his advisors and asks them to tell him what his dream was as well as the interpretation.  The advisers insist that they will be glad interpret the drea

Daniel and his friends are a shining example of the truth that no matter how dark things may look; God always has His plans and His people in place.  As we read about the judgment of God on Israel it is easy for us to assume that there were not any faithful, God fearing people in the nation.  Daniel makes it very clear that God was still clearly at work in the lives of His people.  However, it is also an illustration of the truth that godly people suffer under the consequences of the sins of the nations in which they live.  As believers we are to be salt and light and try to provide a preserving influence on our cultures.  By God’s grace we may impact the culture and turn people from their sin but we cannot allow the culture to contaminate us so that we lose our influence on the people we should be impacting.  Daniel was greatly used of God in the midst of multiple perverse cultures.  This first chapter gives us a very good insight as to why that was. DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES: It c

Ezekiel ends the book with a description of the division of the land of Israel by tribe, the division of the area dedicated to the temple and the gates to the city.  The boundaries of the nation are clearly described, and the order in which the land shall be divided from north to south.  God is a God of details and He has revealed very carefully how this land is to be divided.  He clearly has a plan for the future of this world in which we live and we can rest assured in His control over all of history and all of our lives. THE DIVISION OF LAND FOR THE TRIBES: Ezekiel is given the order in which each of the tribes of Israel is to receive their inheritance.  Starting from the north and moving to the south the name of each tribe is given and the land that has been allotted to them.  This will be a permanent division for the people to be able to inherit this land and dwell there securely just as the Lord had promised to Abraham and the prophets.  God will always fulfill His promises.

Renewal and restoration are wonderful blessings promised by God to His people.  Throughout the history of mankind the curse of sin has consistently made a mess of this world.  This will continue as time goes on and will intensify as we reach the latter days.  In preparation for the second coming of Christ, God will judge the earth with super-natural judgments that will increase the destruction on the earth.  War, famine and plagues from heaven will result in death and desolation during this time of tribulation on the earth.  However, this time of judgment will also be a great time of spiritual harvest especially in the children of Israel.  As New Testament prophecies begin to come true, Israel will recognize that they crucified Messiah and will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  The nations will rise up to attack Israel and this time of tribulation will come to an end with the spectacular second coming of Christ.  I believe this is the setting in which this vision from God takes place

Sacrifices are to be a part of the system of worship in the new temple.  There is special allowance made for the prince and there are specific instructions for the people.  The times and the places are clearly given as well as the quantity of animals and grains to be offered.  These sacrifices are in larger quantities than they were in the Mosaic Law.  However the frequency of the sacrifices has been diminished.  These orders are clearly given and every indication is that they will be willingly followed.  This willingness and obedience reflects a true change of heart that will take place in the lives of God’s people.  This is always God’s desire in every generation. THE PRINCE AND THE PEOPLE’S SACRIFICIAL SCHEDULE: The days that are set aside for sacrifice in mass in this new temple are the Sabbath and the New Moon.  The prince is to come through east gate while the people are to come through the north and south gates and then leave through the opposite one.  The amount of each of

A description of the land to be set aside for the construction of the temple and the residence of the priests and Levites as well as the details of the offerings to be made are given in this passage.  The Lord has a plan in place for how He wants this new temple to be.  He will make every provision for this facility and His desires will be accomplished.  God has always acted in this manner with His people.  He has given instructions and then made every provision for the people to be able to follow those instructions.  Unfortunately, the people rebelled against God’s will and did not obey His Word.  Both the political and spiritual leaders exploited their position and their power for their own good instead of for God’s glory.  Things will be different in this new order.  The leaders will serve the people instead of exploit them and the people will worship the Lord in holiness instead of worshiping idols and practicing immorality. THE DIVISION OF LAND: The area of land to be set asi

Ezekiel continues his vision of the temple.  He is called to describe the entrances as well as the duties of those who serve in the temple.  Once again great detail is given in this text as to the wishes of God in this facility.  There seem to be many similarities with the Mosaic Law and practices that are not a part of our worship in the New Testament.  This may indicate that in the coming kingdom there will be a return to some of the rituals and practices of Judaism however with a realized Messianic presence.  I am really not sure how this will be but when it is fulfilled I am sure that all of these things will make much more sense.  We must be careful about claiming to have a full understanding of all of the plans of God for the future.  Some things are for His understanding alone and these things will become motives for worship upon their fulfillments. THE SEPARATION OF MINISTRIES: There are specific duties assigned to specific people in their ministries within the temple.  Th

Shame is not a very pleasant feeling and one that we do our very best to avoid.  However, it is vital to our relationship with God that we experience shame over our sin.  Shame is not always followed by repentance but true repentance is always preceded by shame.  Ezekiel is give a detailed description of the temple, the altar and the glory of God filling the temple so that he can reveal these truths to the people of Israel in order that they might be ashamed of their idolatry.  When God’s holiness, graciousness and mercifulness are revealed to us; the expected response is shame over our sin, repentance of our sin, gratitude for God’s forgiveness and worship of His greatness. THE GLORY OF GOD FILLS THE TEMPLE: Earlier in this book we had a vision of the glory of God leaving the temple in preparation for its destruction.  Now we have a glorious description of the return of God’s presence to the temple.  Ezekiel is given a view of Israel’s coming restoration and their reconciliation

There is a time and a place for everything.  The description of the temple given Ezekiel illustrates this truth.  Ezekiel describes the inner court with the chambers for the priests as well as the outer court that separates the temple area from the general public.  There are many questions that arise about this temple that is being described.  It seems to be a description of the millennial temple that is still yet to come.  However, it seems strange that there would be sacrifices offered in a temple after the first coming and the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Perhaps these sacrifices are offered as memorials and serve to remind the people who will be living in a very righteous society that that the wages of sin is death.  These things will be made much clearer when we arrive at that place and time. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE INNER CHAMPERS: Ezekiel describes once again the three story chambers that are in the inner portion of the temple.  He then moves to the back of those chamber

Ezekiel continues to receive a vision of a temple where he is accompanied by a celestial being who helps him to measure the building and all of the rooms in the building.  Solomon’s temple has relatively recently been destroyed, and the temple that was built after the captivity was not as big as the one described here; so we must conclude that this temple being described by Ezekiel has yet to be built.  It would be no problem for our eternal God to reveal things to Ezekiel that are still in the future of us today.  God holds the future in His hands and He is at work in the history of this planet to bring all things to a culmination that is for His glory.  We can rest and take comfort in that truth. THE TEMPLE WILL BE LARGE: In the previous chapter we had the description and measurements of the outside courts surrounding the temple.  We now get to see the measurements of the temple itself as well as all of the rooms within this structure.  The temple has a room for the holy of holi

Ezekiel is called to have a vision of a great city on a high mountain where there is a great temple.  The description of this building is in great detail and there are very specific details given for the building that remind us of the details given for the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness as well as the details recorded of the temple that Solomon built.  Since the day of Ezekiel there has never been a structure of this size in Israel.  The temple built by Ezra after the time of the exile was not this big or grand.  The most logical conclusion as to the meaning of this vision is that the construction of this temple must still be in the future.  This would only make sense as the judgment of Gog in the previous chapters also seems to be depicting events in the future. THE CITY WILL BE RESTORED: Ezekiel is given a vision of a grand city in a grand location where this massive temple will be built.  This is a great message of hope for the people who are living in exile to kn

Ezekiel continues to reveal the Lord’s plans to judge Gog and the nations who align with Gog.  It is clear that God intends to judge this nation in a very severe way for their attack on Israel.  In Ezekiel’s day the army that came against Israel was successful and brought down havoc upon the children of Israel.  Many nations, including Israel, may have wrongly assumed that the successful invasion of Israel was because God was unable to protect them.  This prophecy about the future of Israel makes it very clear that God is still fully capable of protecting the nation; and that the Babylonian invasion was God’s means of judging the sinfulness of Israel.  God will never have a lack of power to do exactly what He chooses in this world. THE DESTRUCTION OF GOG: As in the previous chapter Ezekiel describes God’s leading Gog and the coalition of nations with her to Israel for the purpose demonstrating His power.  This massive and powerful army will be supernaturally destroyed by the Lord.